Recaps
[SI] Blake Walston Dazzles in D-backs Loss - The young southpaw would eventually go 4 2/3 innings of no-run baseball. This lowered his very small sample size ERA to 2.16, and his FIP to 3.13. When speaking to the media he spoke quickly on how he approached his first start in the big leagues. "We had a good game plan going in," Walston said. "Not a whole lot of thinking while I'm up there. Just trying to be relaxed and putting it where it should be. I knew if I attacked with my off-speed we would be okay." He did exactly that, generating a fantastic 42% ground ball rate, thanks largely to his offspeed pitches.
[Burn City Sports] Diamondbacks sloppy play costly in loss to the Marlins - "We kind of blinked first, we made an error, it was a tough play,” said Lovullo. “When the margins are that small and you’re grinding the way we are offensively, every little thing matters. It ends up leading to a bunch of unearned runs. Acknowledging that it was a tough play, but we typically don’t make mistakes in those scenarios. That’s what I want to focus on, how can we continue to win those little inches that don’t put us in the situation we ended up in.” Arizona hasn’t shown much ability to recover from trailing multiple runs this season, and they are now 1-24 in such games in the 2024 season.
[Dbacks.com] D-backs struggle to get going offensively vs. Marlins - "It was a lot of velo today, I saw that, and he had a really good changeup," Lovullo said of Weathers. "He was walking the ball around the zone. When he was in San Diego, we saw him do that. You just can't miss your pitch and I thought there were times we had counts in our favor but we didn't get the swing off." That’s been a theme with the D-backs this season, one they hope will change when they see the Rangers on Tuesday following an off-day on Monday.
Team news
[SI] Torey Lovullo Explains Decision to Call Up Blake Walston to Start - Walston was not the only option to be called up. Tommy Henry and Cristian Mena are also in the Triple-A Reno aces rotation and pitching fairly well in that tough environment. Lovullo explained the timing process of selecting Walston. "All the names were in play. I think the decision was probably made four days ago that we targeted Blake. He lined up, he'd been throwing the ball well. We clipped his pitch count at 70 pitches in his last outing, so we knew 4-5 days ago this was going to be Blake."
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks top prospects Jordan Lawlar, Yu-Min Lin close to return from injuries - Lin had a freak injury, taking a foul ball to the face in the dugout while playing for Double-A Amarillo. He went on the IL on April 27. Larkin said Lin threw a live bullpen on Friday up to 45 pitches with two more on the schedule. “That will put him at six-weeks post operation on his jaw. After that on (June 14) he is scheduled for five (innings) and 75 (pitches) which ideally will happen in Amarillo. We’ll determine that when it gets there so we’re talking about middle of June.”
[AZ Central] McCarthy throws it back to old-school WWE days with theme music - There's a key second part of the song, when breaks in the music allowed for Angle's many detractors to chant "You suck!" at WWE arena shows. A few people at Diamondbacks games get it, and apparently can't help themselves in shouting out the chant. McCarthy knows the home fans aren't necessarily telling him he's bad at baseball, and he has a sense of humor about it. "I don't think enough people follow it (wrestling) enough to know that. I think it's funny to know. I've had a few people tell me that I suck. There's a few security guards that tell me 'I want to chant 'you suck' but probably shouldn't.' I tell them feel free, I'm walking up to it."
[MiLB.com] Dedication & Hard Work are Keys to De Los Santos' Baseball Journey - MLB Pipeline's No. 14 Top Prospect within the Arizona Diamondbacks organization has done nothing but hit throughout his career. He burst onto the scene in 2021, and the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native won the batting title in the Arizona Complex League. Consistency with the bat is what separates De Los Santos as a prospect. He has proven that he can be moved around the country and find success against a wide range of talent as a professional hitter.
And, elsewhere...
[ESPN] Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. out for season with torn left ACL - Reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his left knee Sunday and will miss the remainder of the season, a significant blow to an Atlanta Braves team that already lost ace Spencer Strider for 2024. Acuña crumbled between second and third base during the first inning of the Braves' game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after his left knee buckled on a delayed steal attempt. An MRI revealed the torn left ACL, which comes less than three years after Acuña suffered the same injury to his right knee while jumping to make a catch in right field. [JIM: When will MLB act to stop this unnecessary carnage? Why are they not adding designated runners and designated fielders?]
[LA Times] Frustrated Dodgers fall to Reds, extend losing streak to five games - “It just seems like we’re running cold,” manager Dave Roberts said, peppered with a string of lineup questions that have become common in recent weeks. “When you’re not hitting, it certainly seems lifeless,” Roberts added. “I know it’s not from care and preparation. But the bottom line is, it’s about results. And we’re not getting them right now.” Not even close. Instead, the Dodgers have endured their first five-game losing streak since 2019. They suffered their first series sweep since last June.
[MLB] ‘Cosmic Baseball’ to illuminate the game like never before - The Tri-City Chili Peppers, a college summer team in the Coastal Plain League, will forge into a new era on June 1, when they will host what they've dubbed Cosmic Baseball -- a baseball game played under black lights. That means a glowing ball, glowing bats, glowing bases, glowing uniforms, glowing ... well, just about everything. It's believed to be the first organized sporting event to be played entirely under black lights and has drawn quite the spotlight. Despite assumptions one might have about such an event -- assumptions perhaps accompanied by safety concerns -- it's nearly a risk-free proposition. Or, as risk-free as any baseball game can be.
